Ephraim Hardcastle
WHILE bookmakers predict the demise of Anne Robinson’s tenure on Countdown, Clare Balding eulogises her recent encounter with the so-called Queen of Mean on the Channel 4 series. This is in sharp contrast to her experience on Anne’s earlier show, the Weakest Link, when she was stung by references to her chubbiness. ‘Anne used my weight as a stick to beat me with – but if that makes the crusty old cow happy, that’s fine!’ recalls Clare of a post-show interview which she was unaware that Anne was privy to. Clare subsequently received a conciliatory letter from Anne. ‘I turned over the page and it said “I do hope we work together soon. With love, the Crusty Old Cow”.’
BEFORE resigning, embattled Owen Paterson might have gently shuffled along the Commons green leather benches to discreetly distance himself from neighbouring fellow Tory MP James Gray. His marriage ended in 2006 after it emerged he was having an affair with a married woman while his wife was fighting breast cancer. With friends like that…
FIERY presenter Kirstie Allsopp, pictured, rages: ‘I’m shocked to see so many world leaders and influential people at Cop26 wearing disposable masks.’ Championing the reusable variety, Kirstie insists: ‘Masks are like pants. You have quite a few, you don’t just have one pair of pants that you wash every night. You have a few and they go in and out of the wash.’ Sign her up, Boris!
OLD Harrovian pop star James Blunt responds to a claim that his Chelsea pub, The Fox and Pheasant, is haunted by a late regular that always knocks the same tankard off its hook. ‘We have spirits,’ he says.
HOW does Girl Guide Emma Thompson (rtd) view the organisation’s recent tweet that raises awareness of the asexual community? It’s a far cry from the innocent pre-woke 1958 pamphlet published by the Girl Guides Association entitled Whippings and Lashings. It was an illustrated booklet about knots.
SIR Antony Sher, stoically battling illness, continues to elicit admiration for his definitive 1997 performance as Cyrano de Bergerac. The description of his performance at the Royal Shakespeare Company, by the late Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, as ‘magnificent’ contained one caveat. ‘Antony really needs to have some surgery on his nose,’ Tara observed.
AWKWARD one-upmanship on Radio 4 Today’s programme with Nick Robinson – keen to put recently arrived colleague Amol Rajan in his place – insisting: ‘Do stop talking, Amol.’ Rajan replies: ‘You didn’t invite me on to this programme to do that, did you?’ Cue nervous laughter all around.
ACTOR Alan Cumming says that his mother Mary was horrified by Miriam Margolyes’ claim that he eschews underpants. He told ITV’s This Morning: ‘I said, “Miriam, you’ve got to stop saying that I don’t wear underwear! A jockstrap is underwear!’
Email: john.mcentee@dailymail.co.uk